Reviewer Allan Becker: Allan has been
designing and planting flower gardens, since he was a teenager in the
1960's. Now retired from the soft goods industry, where he held several
positions in design, product development, and marketing, he has turned
his passion for gardening into a second career, as a garden designer for
private clients in Montreal, Canada.

In spring and summer, he provides his assistants, most college students, who transform his designs into flower gardens. In winter, he reviews books on garden-related topics forBookpleasures.com and writes a Gardening Blog.

Allan earned a B.A. from McGill University, followed by two years of studies in design at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia). He lives in the Montreal suburb of Cote St. Luc, Quebec with his wife and travels regularly to Toronto and Boston to visit his children and grandchildren.

By Allan Becker

Published on February 16, 2011

Author: Jodi DeLong

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-55109-798-5

This valuable and enjoyable reference book ought to
be on the shelves of every public library in the north east where
growing conditions are challenging. It is also an impressive gift to
receive.

The setting for this
gardening book is one of the most beautiful locations in North
America, situated on the northeastern tip of the continent, northeast
of the US State of Maine. It is known as the Maritime Provinces or
Atlantic Canada. Here is where family members of the 32nd president
of the USA, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, spent their summers; it is the
birthplace of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables,
and of actor Donald Sutherland. Wise celebrities who keep vacation
homes in the area include Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Paul Simon and
Billy Joel. This picturesque swath of the continent includes the
eastern tip of Quebec as well as the provinces of Newfoundland and
Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.

Postcards of Atlantic
Canada’s scenery depict blue skies, sandy or craggy beaches, green
rolling meadows and high tides. Because it protrudes into the North
Atlantic, it is warmed by the Gulf Stream that sweeps up from Mexico
before making a right turn towards Europe. While this meteorological
phenomenon keeps some spots in Atlantic Canada slightly balmier than
one might have imagined, it also brings the tail end of searing
hurricane winds in late summer, usually accompanied by strong rains.
Winters can be a cornucopia of every gardener’s nightmare: - Snow
storms are not uncommon in April, and winter temperatures range from
thaw to deep freeze. Add to these climate conditions, hungry deer,
slugs, and a soil that is rocky, acidic, and heavy with waterlogged
clay and a challenging environment for gardening is created.

That challenge has been
taken up by the author, who lives and gardens in Nova Scotia. This is
where she test-grew hundreds of plants and catalogued a selection of
those that thrive favorably under harsh growing conditions. Ms.
DeLong recommends about 40 trees and shrubs as well as over 70
perennials. Most of the plants are those that I too have grown
successfully. It is validating to see that another gardener
appreciates their contributions to cold climate gardens.

Up until now, these plants
have been the key to our successes and now Ms. DeLong is sharing that
“secret” with the public. Discovering what works in her growing
zone must have been a labor of love because the recommended plants
are beautiful in their own right and even more impressive when
combined with each other. These are the handsome work horse plants
that make gardens and gardeners look good. Readers are given
essential technical plant specs such as growing requirements,
hardiness, height, and bloom period. A detailed hardiness map for
Atlantic Canada is also supplied, as are appendices for deer
resistant plants, plants for pollinators, salt and drought-tolerant
plants and plants for moist or wet soil.

The first impression I
got, when I unwrapped this publication is that it celebrates the
physical experience of touching ad reading real books. The glossy
cover is illustrated with a powerful, eye catching, close up photo of
a monarch butterfly feeding on an Echinacea flower, the interior
graphic design is talented and impressive, not only in execution but
in the choice of colors used to differentiate distinct sections of
the text. The pages have a sensuous, shiny feel that makes one’s
fingers linger. This valuable and enjoyable reference book ought to
be on the shelves of every public library in the north east where
growing conditions are challenging. It is also an impressive gift to
receive.